Vehicle bumper and fender



Sept. 25 1923.

G. REICHSTETTER, JR., ET AL VEHICLE BUMPER AND FENDER Filed May 24, 1923 n m m T A i Patented Sent. 25, r i

-GEBGEV Rnrcirs'rzz r'rnn 63.,05' NEW R v V i nnw JERSEY.

Penn orro Enron's Brim oefrsvn m I vnnroLn surarsnjsnn FE DER;

zens of'the United States," andresidents, respectively, of Newark and Irv ington, both in' the county of Essex and Steteo'f New Jersey, have inventedcertain newsn-cl usee ful Improvements in Vehicle Bumpers and fication. w I a I This invention ,relatesato devices carried j at the front of motor propelled-vehicles. for: reducing the shock caused by. impact of the vehicle with an obstruction, le'sseningthe efiects of such collision, both to the ,vehicle and objectencounteredu 2D to 'be readilyapplied'to any type'of self-f propelled wheeled'vehicle'. Another-purpose isto produce afenderi vassociated with andv .-.supported by :.}the bumper in; such manner asto automatically assume an operative position coincident-all L I g v, v with an operative movement :of the bumper: f A further'aim 1s m the PIOVlSlQIl ofmeans for short circuiting and rendering inoperative theelectric current as used to energize the spark'plugs of the motor driving-the vehicle, said means becoming instantly op erative' upon lowering of the. fender.

These and other advantageous objects as i will later appear, are secured by the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereafter described and: shown in the annexed drawing, constituting an essen-. tial part of the disclosure, and; in which E Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of slightly more than half of the length oflabumperf and fender made in accordancewi thjthe in? 'vention and illustrating its connect-ion with e avehicle; Figure 2 is a transversefsectional view eppioximately'at its center. i-rFigure3 isa perspective view'showing the clip or keeper 'guardindetailI i v V L V Figure 4- is a plen'view of" the electric switch operatedi byreleas'e of the tender. 5 In the drewing a fragment p f'the front" axle'is" designated by'the numeral iOiandone'. of a pair of like supports 121 the same being 1 22a; fseriariioi @1934.

inade as shown, of :rolled steel anglesi'rigldlyfixed to the. forward parts of, the chassis or vehicle frame to extend in advance there-J outward; J These ends ofgktheir ends 12 being turned-oppositely are fixedly secured vto a "plain 1' straight horizontal-bar: liexten'dingg across 7 v the front of thev'ehicle at a suitable height Fenders, of which the folloWing'is-a specifrom the ground-level;

'Riveted-to thesbar 14,, adjacentjthe suigs port BndslQ, are singleleaf, seini-ellipticul at their centers toi'anxouter, orcontact bar distance in frontofa nd in the same horizon; tal planees-the barf12;

:fiTllQi'QOIliiiCt bar ;18,;:is":bent=. at its ends into curved'bights '19 terminating'in inward; 1y turned straight flat clips 20, parallehwith 'fthe bar 18 and adapted to rnake Contact with 1 the ends 'of'the'bar 14: on the sides to-which V l v 18, 'therebysupporting the same "at a spaced 7 One of the objects is to rQ'V deesLmple and efle'ctivebumper ofd'neat appearance,-

7 o composed of resilient elements and adapted V the supports are attached;'theifproportion of i V i theseielenients being suchfasto maintain the Q springs under compression at all times and wheni thefspri'n gs yield, under-contact with anfobwctfto prevent their excessive Tre Fixed {to the center, oi -.,ei1;; be 18 we 7 angular. foot 21 of detentibar'l22, having a l downturnedzportion'23 presenting abevelled f- I j if 1 "The ',bar*22' passes through an openingi25- barb'like 1 detent 24:.

formedin aneoffs etkeeper plate' '26 secured V to theflhar '14 toguide and support the, de}

-tent, slidahly1 iol'ding tlief.detent bafivclosely 1 7 I adjacent the lower edge of the bar 145. 1

@The detent; 24 normally engagesjwithia correspondingly shaped catch 27' formed on thsje'nd of sist ripf28 attached in perpendicu 4' i iosfition to a p1ural1tyjoffe'nder. bars 29'; j '95 se cured in [spaced relation. ,cleats sores: posed at r-intervals l-along theiralength, the

i a; noticed that the several fender I ."endsiof the bar's29 which maybe curvedtoe i 1' svardsthe vehiclebody,"being held b'y'fen'd' V icle'ats-fil 'which eXtend'out-wardan equivai lentfdistance to: the bightuof the curves v coll fender bar is prevented from moving for ward or outward by the offset'portion of the keeper plate 26.;

In addition to'the cleats 30, the tender bars have secured to them angle s p s 32 pivotally engaged at their lower ends-by forks formed on the endsol radius rods 3-1 theotlier ends of which are pivoted in elevises toyolres 36 securely bolted tothc front axle 10, and fixed to rods 34 are braces 37 extending outward and pivotally engaging Pivotally attached to the angles near angul arlv "the cleats their inner ends. are eves ltl formed inithe L lower members 3970; support rods, these lower members being normally substantially liorizontal'and engaged at their'opposite 7 ends bfv pivot joints 40 with upper members 41, in turnpivoted to the supports 1:1, it'being understood that the coin iiicd length of the rod members 39 and 41 limits the d sfender can move down- 1 tance which the wardly.

In order to prevent ivibration or end 1 movement 'of the tender and also t'o 'in sure intimate and constant contact between the detent 24 and catch 27, bent flat springs 42 are fixed on the supports 11, these springs being bowed and curvedto present'clipse partially encircling and resting'on the sup- I vport rod members-39 tendingto press the iSflInBfiI'IDly down and preventlateral action of any moment; 7 V

"Held to-the under side of one of theangle supports 11 is a casing 14 havinga cylin- 'drical extension a5 through the diametrical center of which passes a vertical rod: 46

7 upon lowering of the fender, whereupon it V In operation,

will overcome the effect of the coiled spring 55. encircling tlierod 4L6 witliin the casing and normally supporting the rod to keep the contacts out 1 of engagement with the terminals. V the parts being in their normal positioines indicated in Fi 1, should the' ba'r 18 make forcible contact wi has object, the bumper willyield and the barc18 moving backward or towards the vehicle, will obviously carry the detentQ-l, releasing it from the catch 271and pern itzthe fender to drop by gravity tolthe limit 0 the sub port rods 39-l1. I V r v V the radius ass Thus the fender will be suspended by the said rods and held in an operative position by the radius rods 34; at some distance below the bumper, clearing the ground surface however and effectually preventing the envehicle i 5 Asthe fender drops',stressistransmittedi 7o countered object "from being run over by the through the spring 5% to the electric switch, 1.

the current to the spark plugs, thus rendering the motor inoperative until the parts have been readjusted. The atoregoing disclosure is to be regard} the contacts and short circuitinged asdescriptive and illustrative only, and

notas restrictive or limitative of theiuvention, of which'obviouslv an enibodiineiitinay be CQli-J I cludi a without departing from the general scope ed claims. Y

we claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent, '1s: t V l The combination with a vehicle bumper liavin g a spring-supported outer bar herein indicated and denoted in the-append and a fixed inner bar, of a fender, and a v single supportfor said fender, said support becoming disengaged upon'the YQCQSSlODnO E said outer bar. Y Q

2. The .combination with: a vehicle bumper having a spring supported outer single central support for said fender, a guidert'or said support, and meanson said tender engaging said. support when in bar and a fixed inner baryof'a render, a

Haviiigtlius described ouri'iivention, what normab-position and to become released therefrom'upon recession of said outer bar.

3. The fl'coinbination. with a vehicle bumper having a spring supported outer bar and a ii ized inner bar, of alfender, a single central support-for said fender, saidsupport releasing the fender 'upon recession of said bar, and means for suspending said-fender v in a lower plane after the release otsaid support. V r 7 e. The combination with a vehicle bumper having a spring supported outer bar and a fired inner bar, of a fender, a single central support for said ifender, said support releasing thefender upon recession of'said bar and radius rods pivotally connecting between said fender and the front axle-10f the vehicle." r r v a .5. The combination with i1. vehicle bumper having an inner bar, a spring ex- 1 tended outer' bar and rigidfsupports engaging said inner bar't'o the 'frameiofithe vehicle, ota fenderliaving-a catch, a detent carried by said outer bar, said detent becomsing; disengaged upon i the, rearward movement of said outer bar', hingedlyjointedsupport rods pivotallv engaged at their ends respectively to said fenderland saidirigid supports, one of each of the elements of said rods being" normally rhori zont a'h and spring clips fixed to sa d rigid supports, said 6; The combination With-2, mo'tor driven vehicle bum imr-heying a yieldable'frontbar; 01' a fender supported by said; bumper,"

means for releasing saidiendergoperated by recession of said front bar, hingedly ointed suspension rods pivot-ed respeotively tothe bumper supports and fender, said rods becoming operative upon release of the fender supports, and means carried by the )umpei supports for guiding and-exerting pressure on said rods when inoperative.

7. The combinetion with a' motor driven 7 vehicle bumper having a yieldahleirontb21111. of e fender supported by said bumper, means for releasing said fender operated by reces- I sion of said frontbar; hingedly jointed der supports, means-Carried by'the bumper supports for guiding and exerting. pressure; 'onsaid rods When inoperative, and radius r'ods pivotal-1y ehg'egino-said fender with'the -front'az il'e ofthe vehie e.'- r

8 The combination with a motor driven Vehiole bumper having a yieldable fiont bar,

of a fender supported by said bumper, means foreleasi-ngsaid I'ender operated by recession of said front, berg'means'foi' suspending saidfender' in a lower plane after its rele ase, -a n electrievswit'oh ooiit' ollingieurreht to the firing devices of the" Vehicle moton-T and means actuated by the release of said lender cooperate said sW-itch; 4

This specification signed and witnessed this 5th day of May,'1928. f v GEORGE REIGHSTETTER,,'JR.

' OTTOELREICHAIVBDTY.

I "Witnesses: susgension rods plvoted respeeeively to the bumper supports and; fender, jsald rods FREDIL G Flsozquig I WM. F. Roses. 

